Source: Astros could trade Pence as soon as today; Phillies lead candidates

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ST. LOUIS — The Astros are deep into talks to trade right fielder Hunter Pence before Sunday’s trade deadline, perhaps as soon as today, and the Philadelphia Phillies are the leading candidate for his services, according to a person with knowledge of the discussions.

There are multiple teams with interest, including the Braves, according to multiple reports. But talks with the Phillies have progressed furthest, the person said.

Astros general manager Ed Wade, as a policy, does not comment on trade possibilities before a deal is finished.

Pence is the foremost righthanded hitter on the market despite his struggles since the All-Star break. On the season, he is hitting .309 with 11 home runs after going 2-for-4 with two doubles in Thursday night’s 5-3 victory over St. Louis.

While Pence said he hasn’t been alerted to anything, he said it entered his mind that Thursday could have been his last game in an Astros career that began in 2007.

“I love these guys, and I love Houston,” Pence said. “It’s all I know.”

The Astros were arguably in an even better place after Carlos Beltran was traded to San Francisco, taking one of the biggest bats off the market. Other righthanded-hitting outfielders reported to be available include San Diego’s Ryan Ludwick, Oakland’s Josh Willingham and perhaps the Chicago White Sox’s Carlos Quentin.

The Astros would save about $2.3 million this season by trading Pence, who is two years away from free agency. Assuming the Phillies or another team keeps him year-to-year rather than signing a long-term contract, he will get two raises via arbitration from the $6.9 million he now makes.

According to a FoxSports.com report, two of the prospects who have come up in Astros-Phillies discussions are high Class A slugging first baseman/outfielder Jonathan Singleton and high Class A righthander Jarred Cosart, who played at Clear Creek.

The Phillies and Astros are familiar trade partners as a result of multiple deals engineered by Wade, who previously served as Philadelphia’s GM. The most notable included the Astros’ trading of Brad Lidge and Eric Bruntlett to the Phillies in 2007 for Michael Bourn, Geoff Geary and minor leaguer Michael Costanzo. Last year, the Astros sent Roy Oswalt and cash to the Phillies for J.A. Happ and prospects Jonathan Villar and Anthony Gose, with Gose ultimately swapped for Toronto prospect Brett Wallace.